Vehicle wheel



,Fb.16,1937. s, s, MCDONALD 2,070,993-

VEHICLE WHEEL Filed July 23,1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

4 ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb; 16, 1937 ES PAT EN 2,610,993 I VEHICLE WHEEL StephenS. McDonald, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application July 23, 1935, Serial No. 32,764

' 8 Claims. (Cl. 301-91 This invention relates to vehicle wheels and .which ride in slots 6 of the disc, and these slots refers particularly to means for dismounting and are long enough to permit of the relative moveremounting such wheels, ment required to seat the stud heads 3' on the It is the general object ofthe present invencams l UNITED. STAT T OFFICE:

5 tion to provide simple, positive and reliable A perforation 1' is made in the locking plate, 5 means for locking such wheels on the hubs to and this perforation is, along one edge, made with which such wheels ordinarily are fitted.- It is a gear teeth i A stud 9 is rigidly mounted on thev further object to provide simple and dependable disc 6 to ride in this perforation and it is shaped means for operating the wheel locking device. rotatably to support a thimble It, on which gear 10 To this end, the invention consists in the cornteeth i0" are cut, and these teeth are perma- 10 binations hereinafter fully described and illusnently in mesh with the gear teeth 1. The outer trated in the appended drawings, of which: end of this thimble is shown squared to receive Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a a socket wrench H, by means of which the thimvehlcle wheel embodying the invention, ble is rotatable in one direction to rotate the Fig. 21s a fragmentary sectional end elevation locking plate, thereby to engage the stud heads ofthe wheel taken substantially on line 2-2 of 3 with the plate cams 1 and in the opposite- Fig. 1, in the direction of the arrow, direction again to disengage the plate. Means Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of part ofFig. should be provided for maintaining the thimble 1, taken on line 3-3, in direction of the arrow, l0 axiallyin position on the stud 9, and such 5 and with the operating member of the device meansishere, for the sake of simplicity, shown added, and to consist of a screw 23, but more effective means Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a modified deshould be employed in practice. tail of construction. Y Y From this description, it is seen that the wheel In the form illustrated in the drawings, the normally is tightly clamped on to the hub flange 35 wheel comprises an inner hub I, having a clrcu- I, and the powerful purchase ofthe socket lar flange I, to which a brake drum 2 is secured wrench makes this clamping so solid that no viby means of studs 3. The demountable wheeibration is possible which might tend to shake comprises a rim 4, spokes i2, and an outerhub the members apart. Also that, as the disc 6 and portion 5. The latter is mounted on a disc 6 havthe locking plate always are held together by the g0 ingperforationsl for seating the disc on the bolts 8, it is a very simple and easy matter 3 studs 3. The edge of each of these perforations quickly to mount and dismount the rim asv is preferably beveled to fit into sockets I of the sembly. I flange.- An annular locking plate 'I ismountable In order, however, entirely to eliminate all. on the wheel huh I and on the aforenamed studs danger of the clamping members becoming 3, to lock the disc 6 firmly in position on the loosened by the vibrations of the wheel inciden- 35 hub flange, as will now be described in detail. tal to wheel rotations, I have provided means for A series of keyhole shaped perforations is made I positively locking the wheel, in firmly clamped in the locking plate I, and as these perforations position on the hub flange. may be exactly alike, and are shown alike, only I Such means is, in the drawings, shown to com-. one will now be described. The mainportion of prise a lever l5, which is 'mounted to swing ,on 40 a stud l6 of-the locking plate. A toothed member I1 is secured to this lever for engagement .with the gear pinion III, which forms part of the thimblei'element in. A spring l9, extending from the lever to'a stud 20 of the locking plate, maintains these parts yieldingly engaged. Th member I! is made with a beveled portion II, which becomes engaged by aconical shoulder ll of r the wrench II, when the latter is applied,

the perforation, I is large enough to pass over the headofone of'the studs 3, whereup n the plate is given a slight turnto-seat the shank of the stud in the smaller portion 1 The edge of 45 this portion is shown raised to form a rising cam 1, alongwhich the headfof the stud is caused -to ride when such slight rotation of the locking plate is effected, thereby to draw the plate and the disc 6 tightly'together on the hub flange I". While, in the drawings, the stud heads 3' areshown circular, for convenience, I wish it under-- stood that they may be otherwise shaped for more complete contact with the cams 1. I The locking plate is preferably combined with as the disc 8, as by means of a series of bolts 8,

' the toothed portion of the member from the gear teeth 10' and thereby to release the thimble for rotation by the wrench. It should be noted that the smaller the teeth are, the finer the locking adlustmenh- If preferred, it is also possible to to push this lever away far enough to disengage 50 is found that ordinary gear teeth do not lock the parts together firmly.

Because the lever is is rather long and slender, and in order to .prevent wheel vibrations from displacing it far enough sidewise to bring the teeth out of engagement, the-lever is provided with an extension l5, in which an elongated peroration is made, and the stud 20,'to which the end of the spring I9 is attached, is seated in this perforation topermit the head of the stud firmly to maintain the lever in close relation to the locking plate.

In present day automobile design, it isbe-v coming common practice to employ a relatively very large hub cap. Such cap is,;in Fig. 2, indicated by the numeral 2| and is shown fitted to cover the-entire opening 01' the hub portion 5, thereby completely to enclose all the mechanism oi the invention. The particular means for fastening this hub cap is'immaterial, several suit- .able constructions being commercially well her having anannularly elongated-perforation known. Such means is here, for this reason, merely indicated by spring fingers engaging the inner flange 5'.

From the foregoing description, it ls seen that my object is to provide simple, inexpensive and positive means for mounting a wheel on its hub and, while one form of structure is shown in the drawings, the full scope of the invention set forth in the following claims: r I I claim: a I A 1. A wheel assembly comprising two members combined for limited relative rotation, one member having an annularly elongated perforation made with teeth along one annular edge; a stud in the other member seated in said perforation, a thimble rotatable on said stud and having gear teeth engaging the teeth of the perforation and made with asquared end where-- by to rotate the thimble and thereby to turn one member relative to the other, and'means on the perforated member engaging the-thimble to lock the thimble in position.

25A wheel assembly comprising two members combined for limitedrelative rotation,one memmade withteeth along one annular edge, a stud on the other member seated in said perforation, a thimble rotatable on said stud and havin gear teeth engaging the teeth oi. th'e'pertoration and made with a squared end whereby to rotate the thimble and thereby to turn one member relative to the other, a; lever on the perforated member having teeth, [and a spring 111111 8 the teeth of said lever into engagement with teeth on the thimble to lock the thimble against rotation. I I I 3. A wheel assembly comprisingtwo members combined for limited relative .movement, one member having an annularly elongated perforation made with teeth along one annular edge,

' cut of! the outer portion of the gear teeth III' a stud on the other member seated in said perfo'ration, a thimble rotatable on said stud and having gear teeth engaging the teeth'oi the perioration and made with a squared end whereby to rotate the thimble and thereby to turn one member relative to the other, a lever on the periorated member having teeth, "a springurging the teeth ots'aid lever into engagement with teeth on the thimble to lock the 'thimble against rotation, and means-maintaining said lever in position against the perforated member.

4. The combination with two coaxial relatively rotatable. members, one member having gear teeth. of a toothed thimble on the other member engaging the teeth of the first member, a lever on the first, member having teeth engaging the teeth of said thimble to prevent rotation of the latter and madelwith a cam surface adjacent said teeth, the beveled member on the lever and the squared shank on the pinion being adapted for engagement by a socket wrench to withdraw the teeth "oi the lever from the teeth of th pinion and to rotate the pinion. 5. The combination with two coaxial relatively rotatable members, one member having gear teeth, of a toothed thimble on'the other member engaging the teeth 01' the first member, .a lever on the first member having teeth engaging the thimble teeth to prevent rotation of the thimble and made with .a cam surface adjacent said teeth, means yieldingly maintaining the lever I teeth in mesh with the thimble teeth, the beveled member on the lever and the squared'shank on the pinion being adaptedxior engagementby a socket wrench to withdraw the teeth oi. the lever from the teeth of the pinion and to rotate v the pinion.

6. In combination with a pinion having a squared shank, a lever, and a beveled member on said lever provided with teeth engaging teeth of said pinion to lock the piniOn against rotation,

said squared shank and beveled member being 1 engageable by a socket wrench thereby to withdraw theteeth of said member from the pinion teeth. Y

'7. In combination, a pinion having a shank engageable by a wrench to rotate the pinion, athe pinion teeth to lever having teeth engaging lock the pinion against rotation and provided with abev eled portion adjacent said teeth for engagement by a beveled shoulder or said wrench thereby to withdraw the lever teeth'trom the pinion. k

8. In combination, a pinion having a shank for engagement by a wrench to rotate "the pinion, a lever, a member on said lever having teeth-engaging the pinion teeth to lock the pinion against rotation and provided with a beveled portion adjacent said teeth torengagement-by said wrench,

means yieldingly maintaining the teeth of said member inen agement with the pinion teeth,

the engagement oi the wrench with said beveled portion causing a withdrawal of the member from the pinion against the tension oi said yielding means. i I

\ STEPHEN S. McDONALD. 

